Tiara Thomas wanted nothing more than to help and love others, her fiance and brother said Friday.

No matter the circumstances or situation, her giving nature meant she put others first, they said.

"Tiara lived to please others, to help anybody who was in need," recalled her fiance, Marqtell Robinson. "There wasn't anything she had she wasn't willing to give to others, whether it was love or money. There wasn't anything she wouldn't give, even if she didn't have it."

Robinson and Michael Thomas, Tiara Thomas' brother, recalled her generous spirit and her devotion to her children.

On Thursday, Kevin Campbell, 31, her ex-boyfriend and father of her three children, was arrested and charged with murder in her deathTiara Thomas, 30,was shot to death in the early-morning hours of Nov. 18 in the Portage apartment she shared with Robinson, authorities said.

Michael Thomas said his sister and Campbell, of the 6100 block of Wisconsin Street in Hobart, were high school sweethearts and their families have been intertwined for 15 years. The two never married.

"The hurt for us is so much bigger than this isolated incident, and we still have a really good relationship with several of his family," Michael Thomas said.

Robinson, 20, said he and Tiara Thomas had been together about a year. They met while working for the Indiana Family and Social Services Administration, where they were both associates reviewing service applications.

They became engaged March 24 and planned a wedding for June 26, Robinson said.

Thomas' children, ages 11, 8 and 5, were her world, Robinson said, and she often volunteered at their schools in Portage, chaperoning field trips and taking any other duties that were asked of her.

"She was the best mom I've ever seen. It goes back to the loving and generous person she was," he said. "Her kids came first, no matter what."

Michael Thomas, who now lives in Athens, Ga., said he and his sister were born and raised in Gary, and she was a cheerleader at Wirt High School.

"I didn't really notice it growing up, but people would refer to her as my shadow," said Michael Thomas, who is two years older than his sister.

They held their own story hour, taking turns as they read books together, and Thomas always tagged along to his Little League practices with their cousins.

"She'd be the only girl out there trying to catch fly balls and hit with everyone else," he said, adding she didn't like it when people criticized his athletic ability. "She thought I was the greatest baseball player, even though I wasn't."

In addition to planning a June wedding with Robinson, Tiara Thomas was working on an accounting degree, which she would have completed in May, Robinson said.

She was the best mom I've ever seen. It goes back to the loving and generous person she was.— Marqtell Robinson

She hoped to some day use that business background to open and run a day care because she loved children.

"Tiara was at a point in her life where she was finding her own way," Michael Thomas said. "She had really gotten to a point where she was finding her lane and moving forward."

Thomas touched many lives, her brother said, many more than he ever knew because she wasn't the kind of person who wanted to be recognized for it, a testimony to her values. On Nov. 28, mourners filled all 300 pews at Beyond Four Walls Christian Center in Gary for her funeral service.

"I like to characterize Tiara as someone to persevere through difficult times and help people get to where they were going, so she helped a lot of people out," her brother said. "Tiara's gift, I believe, was she was a connector. She connected with people. Even if people weren't talking, they were talking to her."

Michael Thomas said the family has established a GoFundMe page to raise money for her children.

Tiara Thomas was always about building and uplifting others, her brother said.

"We don't want to dwell on the tragedy of the situation, but we do want to dwell on the legacy of Tiara, and that is loving others even when it's inconvenient," he said.

The loss of Tiara Thomas is everyone's loss, her brother said, for the lives she could have touched for years to come.

"I don't want to see my sister as being a victim but as being victorious. We know we're not alone and other families are suffering with us," he said. "It's a very tragic thing, but if we can turn it around, that will be an amazing legacy to have been left by my sister."

A version of this article appeared in print on December 05, 2015, in the News section of the Chicago Tribune with the headline "Fiance, brother remember spirit of homicide victim - Tiara Thomas described as caring, loving person" —
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